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PRIEST RIVER - West Bonner County School District (WBCSD) officials express disappointment, but not surprise that the district’s second run at a supplemental levy failed in the Nov. 5 general election. Unofficial election results show 52.49% (4,332) of WBCSD residents voting against the measure and 47.51% (3,921) voting for it. The school district was attempting to pass the one-year $1,130,000 per year supplemental levy after the one the district ran in May failed.
“We’ll continue our best to do the work that we need to do and run without these funds for the time being,” Spacek says. “When I was doing my meet-and-greets, I got questions regarding the need for the levy and why our current budget could not support extracurricular activities, so we (the district) have to do a better job of communicating why these funds are needed and why funds have to be used for a specific purpose by state law; we can’t move them to whatever category we wish.”
Last Tuesday’s outcome marks the third consecutive time in two years voters have rejected a levy for the district The levy would have cost residents $23 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value for its one-year duration and funded extracurricular and cocurricular activities, transportation and the district’s child nutrition program.
“Regarding the levy, I am disappointed that it failed but not really surprised,” WBCSD Board Chair Margaret Hall says.
According to Hall, there was confusion around why the levy amount was so much less than the May 2024 levy, as well as concern regarding the still-pending fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024 financial audits. She says tension is still remaining from last year’s elections, and confusion regarding the process of when the District submitted the paperwork to the Bonner County Auditor’s Office in September, the levied amount would be reduced by 2025 HB292 funding and School Resource Officer grant funds received.
“Too many moving parts exist,” Hall says.
Going forward, both Spacek and Hall say the District will most likely develop two separate budgets, one with no levy and one to address the needs of educating students and the implementation of a long-range vision for the District.
The District still faces basic shortages such as unfunded mandates, lack of funds for extra/co-curricular activities, and an aging bus fleet. With the Legislature’s removal of the March election option, WBCSD --- along with other school districts – have been backed into a corner, needing to run a levy prematurely in November because May elections are extremely late for developing a budget that starts July 1, Hall says.
“March is a much more appropriate election date for developing a school district budget from a fiscally responsible perspective,” Hall says.
Finally, according to Hall, both the State of Idaho and Bonner County have benefited somewhat significantly from the sale of the Priest Lake lease lots – many of which are second homes to nonresidents – who may not pay income taxes or significant sales taxes, both of which help to fund K-12 education. Without a levy line item on a county’s tax receipt, local school districts do not receive support from owners of such properties as they would have in the past, prior to 2006 HB1.
In August 2006 the State of Idaho adopted a property tax relief plan that reduced property taxes by about $260 million and kept the state’s sales tax at 6%.
“In WBCSD, we have simultaneously conflicting high-valued second home/vacation properties and a struggling school district trying to make ends meet and rebuild itself to meet a future vision and student needs, while the County and State, in many ways, are walking away with the benefits of these sales,” Hall says of the Priest Lake lease lot sales.
The Idaho Department of Lands sold the now-former endowment- owned lots at Priest Lake in September for deeded ownership during a public auction. The land is held in trust by IDL for the Public School Endowment beneficiary, but the cabins and other improvements on the land are owned by the leaseholders as personal property.
WBCSD Trustee Paul Turco says the board will have to make, “very difficult choices to align our operations with our current funding.”
“We take our role seriously in balancing fiscal responsibility with our commitment to providing quality education,” Turco says. “I believe we will continue to present what is best for all kids of WBCSD 83 to the community and voters…I only hope that the community will do their part by educating themselves on what their vote determines. Moving forward, we are dedicated to transparency and collaboration with the community. We remain committed to working with all stakeholders to navigate these challenges together and keep our focus on what matters most: our students’ futures.”
The school district’s 2024-2025 budget will be discussed at the Wednesday, Nov. 20 board meeting, “whether the levy had passed or not,” Spacek says. He adds that a May 2025 levy is a possibility and that he will continue to look at how to best support students, staff and the community at large with the resources the district has.
